Eyes on London: David Beckham has opening ceremony role

Commuters are silhouetted as they cross Tower Bridge in front of Olympic rings in London, Monday, July 23, 2012. The summer Olympics in London will start on Friday July 27.

Kirsty Wigglesworth, Associated Press

Summary

Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

LONDON — Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:

BECKHAM TO FEATURE

He had hoped for more, but David Beckham will at least have some degree of participation in the games. "It is some kind of role in the opening ceremony which I am honored to be involved in because obviously I was involved in the start process with this seven years ago," Beckham told The Associated Press. "And for Seb (Sebastian Coe) to have kept me involved, I'm very proud of that." The 37-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder had wanted to play for Britain's football team at the games, but he was not included in the squad.

After years of preparation work, organization chief Sebastian Coe says London is ready and — like an athlete — raring to go. "We're now in the last of the call rooms. We've gone from the training track to the warmup track to the stadium. The volunteers are in place. The city is dressed. The torch is on its way."

More signs Tuesday that London's transit system is feeling the strain, but it's all quite good-natured — at least for now.

At St. Pancras International station, the launching point for the high-speed Javelin train that takes visitors to the Olympic Park gates, more than 100 people couldn't get onto the platform this afternoon. Eventually, they got on to two trains but neither was going anywhere.

Confused passengers flip-flopped trains, hoping to get lucky with one that would wisk them away, but both were delayed for at least 50 minutes, with little communication from train supervisors to explain what was happening. Some shouted questions to passing train workers, but this was no foul-mouthed, rush-hour mob foaming at the mouth. Everyone remained calm, if a little agitated, until the first one pulled out of the station.

British authorities are going to court to try and prevent a major strike at U.K. airports on Thursday, the eve of the games. Immigration staff are angry over pay and job losses, but officials are urging them to stop and think about the consequences given that "the eyes of the world" will be on the U.K.

Twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan had a bit of trouble getting into the Olympic Park when the American tennis team arrived in London, but it had nothing to do with security guards trying to tell them apart.

The Bryan brothers, among the favorites in the men's doubles tournament, missed the team's news conference because they were stopped at the security check point. According to Tim Curry, the director of the U.S. Tennis Association, they had failed to go to the proper welcoming desk to have their accreditations validated.

"They were trying to get by with the non-laminated one, which is step No. 1 — laminate your credential," Curry said. "They got stopped in security and are heading back to the welcome center."